Oh I’m picking out a Thermos for you,

Not an ordinary Thermos for you,

But the extra best Thermos you can buy …

Now my Thermos doesn’t have vinyl and stripes, but it does have a cup built right in. And it is way better than any barometer. (To any “non” Steve Martin fans, I apologize.)

But one thing my travels have confirmed, is that I really do have the extra best Thermos you can buy. I’ve enjoyed hot coffee from my manly Stanley on many a brisk morning since we left, thanks to el Jefe.

Then while at the ranch, I noticed a lot of old-timers and hardcore outdoorsmen also own a Stanley Classic Bottle Thermos.

It really does keep beverages hot – not just warm – even after a couple hours of cold mountain fishing. What I like most, however, is that you don’t have to take the screw top off to pour. You do have to take off the cap, duh. That’s the cup! But by unscrewing just a bit, and lifting on the top, out comes your steamy beverage of choice. Pretty handy when your hands are already full with a rod, camera, leash or all of the above.

Just had to share this with you. Another one of those classic 20th century icons of design.

OK. Life must go on I suppose, as lonely as it is without Jerry …

But enough about my hay stories. By now, I’m sure you’re as tired of the hayin’ as I was when we finished. How ’bout some fishing?

This isn’t exactly timely anymore, but consider it my summer fishing report for Lake City, Colorado – from the Vickers Ranch fish ponds, to their upper ranch mountain lakes, to the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.

A fun time was had. No gear was broken. And a few fish were caught. But not too many.

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It’s a perfect, sunny summer day in Lake City, and we just returned from last night’s camp out, high atop the Vicker’s property, at about 10,500′ elevation and only accessible via 4×4 jeep roads.

We ventured up to see the yearly Perseids meteor showers, which are at their peak this week, after 2:30 AM.

I’ve always wanted to watch the Perseids. When we lived in Humboldt County, we never saw them because the skies were always too overcast. Finally, last night under a carpet of twinkling stars, we watched the show. I counted 62 shooting stars between 2:45 am and 4:15 am.

This morning I awoke to warm sunshine, and looked out in awe at the beautiful lake, aspens and spruce trees. I thought; “We used to backpack for miles to get to untouched wilderness like this. Now here we are, the entire place to ourselves, and we got to it in less than 20 minutes!”

This was all I needed to remind myself that, despite the hard work we’ve been doing all summer, this unusual life of ours is still like a dream. I don’t ever want us to wake up from it.

I might have said it before, but this time I believe I have truly found the best biscuits and gravy on the planet. I can stop looking now.

Perhaps it was the real cowboy coffee, cooked over an open fire, or the crisp rocky mountain air. Maybe it was the horse ride up the mountain, the breathtaking views, or all of the above.

But I can honestly say Carla and Paulette make the best chuck wagon team when it comes to a ranch style breakfast that would please any old cowpoke. Or workamper in this case.

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As soon as our rig crossed the border into Colorado, my spirit felt as if I had returned home. This land just calls out to me.

From Minnesota to Maine, there are lots of beautiful places in this country that I think I could live in. But none of them feed my soul like Colorado does. I know I’d love living here. But it could be a pipe dream.

Because in Colorado, you’d never know real estate is crashing all over the country. The Rockies are the most beautiful place in the U.S., and property owners know it. They have it made. I’m not seeing reasonable prices on any pieces of land, except for the most isolated patches of non-irrigated ag fields in the plains regions.

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